Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Yeah. Four of them,” Jackson replied.
Seth looked around, appearing healthy and dangerous. “Anybody have intel on either pack?”
“Modern for my new pack is an updated Internet browser,” Erik admitted, shaking his head.
“Come on, Seth. You must have something,” Jackson said.
Seth sipped his drink. “I’ve got a little. We believe they moved their headquarters and are now about a hundred miles outside Granite Pack territory, which puts them roughly a hundred miles from mine.”
Jackson pulled out his phone and pressed it to his ear. “Thane, I need the most up-to-date intel you’ve got on the Ravencall and Ghostwind Packs.” He clicked the speaker button and placed the phone on the table.
“Of course,” Thane replied without hesitation, his voice sure through the phone. “Satellite feed shows Ravencall’s headquarters near Chelan. Ghostwind’s base is closer to Lincoln. There’s been some movement in Douglas County, but so far, it’s been all Ravencall wolves.”
Erik slowly turned his head to stare at Jackson. “You have satellites?”
“No, I don’t have satellites,” Jackson replied, a slow smile tugging at his mouth. “We just know how to hack into them.” He took a sip of his scotch, the burn sharp and familiar. “While you brothers were worried about who’d step up and who had to die,” he added, glancing between Erik and Seth before turning to Philip, “and you were focused on who’s taking over, I’ve been building my structure. Advanced weapons, surveillance. You should all get on board.”
“Fine, Mr. Surveillance.” Seth crossed his arms. “So, what else do you know?”
“Thane?” Erik prompted.
Thane cleared his throat, the hum of static from the speakerphone filling the room. “Right. Based on the latest intel, the Ravencall Pack is about three hundred members deep, while Ghostwind has been gathering members like a tumbleweed rolling down a hill. They’ve got at least a hundred—all fighters. The Ravencalls are being led by an Alpha named Burke Creed,” Thane said. “Based on the lineages we’ve pieced together, he’s a distant cousin to the former Alpha.”
“You have lineages?” Erik asked, his voice low with surprise.
Jackson met his gaze evenly. “We try to keep track.”
“Creed is brutal,” Thane continued. “Used to be their Enforcer and killed Forrest just a few hours after the poor guy stepped up as Alpha.”
“After I killed his brother,” Erik muttered. “I only exchanged a couple of words with Forrest but he seemed likable. I take it Creed is not.”
“Nope,” Thane said through the speaker. “And his reputation’s well-earned. He likes to kill. I mean, really likes to kill.”
“Where is he now?” Jackson asked.
The sound of keys clacking came through the speaker. “Right now, Creed and his two top Enforcers are still at their main headquarters. I’ll send the coordinates.”
“Great.” Jackson could use a good fight.
Philip leaned forward. “What’s their security like?”
“Standard patrols,” Thane said. “Wolves run in pairs on a regular schedule. Shouldn’t be hard to slip through once we map the pattern.”
Jackson needed to give his friend a raise. “Good. What do you have on the Ghostwinds?”
“Their Alpha’s a guy named Feren Voss. Intel says he spent years working as a mercenary before forming the pack. They’ve mostly kept to themselves, living off raids by targeting both humans and other packs,” Thane said.
Seth’s gaze narrowed. “Does Voss have a solid base of power?”
“He’s been in power for ten years, so maybe. Both packs own several smaller mines in the region. I think that’s part of why they’re targeting our territories. They want to expand their mining operations.”
Jackson could understand the reasoning, but they were going to die. “Anything else?”
“Nope,” Thane replied. “See you when you’re home.”
Jackson clicked off the call.
Seth eyed him, calculation in his blue eyes. “That’s good intel.”
Silence settled over the table until Philip muttered, “Status.”
Jackson leaned back. “Mine’s strong. The pack’s thriving. The granite mines are doing well, and I need the council off my damn back. Once I mate, they’re gone.” Of course, he had to fulfill the deal for Caldwell and Sons as well as find the asshole sabotaging his mines.
“You haven’t listened to your council for years.” Seth smirked.
They had more power than Jackson liked, but he wasn’t about to share that. Nor had he ever mentioned that, five years ago, the Ravencall Pack poisoned a quarter of his soldiers. The loss still sat heavy in him, but dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything. “Next?” he muttered.
Erik nodded. “I’m assimilating well as the Alpha of the Copper Pack. The farming community we brought in is thriving, and I’m solid in terms of soldiers, miners, and farmers. Everyone’s recovered from the poisoning attack by the Ravencalls, and I don’t expect another one. We won’t let anyone get that close again.”
“Good,” Jackson said, his fingers tapping lightly against the glass in his hand.
Philip turned to Seth. “Silver Pack?”
“Strong and steady,” Seth replied. “Aside from those grandfathered in, I’ve pushed most humans out of the territory. I want the town wolf-only.” His gaze hardened slightly. “Good ole Brother Jeremiah and his environmental group are still nosing around, but since I restricted human access, they’ve been less of a problem. I may need to deal with him at some point, but so far, everything’s fine.”